Two people were killed and two injured in multiple stabbing incidents across Brussels on Monday evening, none of which were related.
The first incident took place around 18:00 when a man was stabbed in a shelter for refugees on the Rue de Koninck in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. According to initial reports, two men got into a fight and in the scuffle that followed, one of them lashed out with a knife.
"The victim unfortunately died, and the perpetrator was arrested by the police soon after the event," a press release from the public prosecutor's office in Brussels on Tuesday read. The investigating judge, the prosecutor and the Federal Judicial Police laboratory were on the scene on Monday evening.
The public prosecutor's office confirmed it has called on an investigating judge for facts of manslaughter, and that the perpetrator will be "questioned by the investigating judge in the legal 48-hour term."
Unrelated events
At the exact same moment, another stabbing took place on the Quai de Veeweyde in Anderlecht, in which two people were injured after a random passer-by attacked them. The two victims, both in critical condition, were taken to the hospital. Their condition at the moment is still critical.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office ordered the necessary investigative acts (a camera search and a neighbourhood search), while a helicopter searched the area to locate a suspect.
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"A possible suspect was arrested during the evening but further investigation revealed that the man had nothing to do with the events. He was released again. The investigation is ongoing," Sarah Durant, the Deputy public prosecutor spokesperson, said in a press release.
At 18:15, another second stabbing took place, on Place de Bethléem in Saint-Gilles. The attack led to the death of a 20-year-old person, but the exact circumstances surrounding this event are still not clear. An investigating judge has been requested for facts of manslaughter.
The public prosecutor's office in Brussels did not provide more information as to whether there is a connection between the attacks. So far, it seems the events are completely unrelated.
